The in-situ viscosity of natural lava

Project Objectives

•We investigate the natural viscosity of lava as it erupts from a volcano

•This helps us understand the flow properties, which informs on speed and distance of lava flows

•This information is crucial for hazard assessments during an eruption 

Data and Results

•We built, tested, and used a custom instrument engineered to measure the viscosity of lava in the field

•This instrument was developed at the Laboratory for Experimental Volcanology and Petrology at UB

•The instrument, a type of lava penetrometer, was used at an active eruption in Iceland during the Summer of 2023.

•The field use in Iceland was successful in measuring the viscosity across the entire lava path, highlighting it as an effective new tool for lava viscosity studies

Significance

• We now have a new scientific tool that can collect real-time viscosity data, which can help inform on evacuation procedures in the event of an eruption

• We are continuing to develop more methods for these types of in-situ measurements and hope to visit more active eruptions in the near future to collect more data

• We now have a new scientific tool that can collect real-time viscosity data, which can help inform on evacuation procedures in the event of an eruption

• We are continuing to develop more methods for these types of in-situ measurements and hope to visit more active eruptions in the near future to collect more data

Publication:

Harris, M.A., Kolzenburg, S., Sonder, I., and Chevrel, M.O., 2024, A New Portable Penetrometer for Measuring the Viscosity of Active Lava: Review of Scientific Instruments, In Press.